HOWELL – The Howell Township Environmental Commission honored a local teacher, choosing Josh Langenberger as its annual Ann G. Ritchie Award recipient.
The Ann G. Ritchie Award is presented annually by the members of the Environmental Commission to honor the memory of Ann G. Ritchie, a devoted environmentalist who worked tirelessly to sustain the environment and quality of life in Howell Township.
Langenberger is a well-respected science teacher in Howell Township, most notably at Howell Middle School South, for three decades. He is the second Middle School South teacher to receive this award, after Danielle Gianelos received the award in 2019.
“Josh continually works to bridge the gap between the students, the classroom and community. Josh has been instrumental in the implementation of a food forest at Middle School South where they recently planted 30 fruit trees donated from First Energy. He also works with the students to broaden their knowledge of the environment in the community and how they can work to improve the environment locally,” Howell Environmental Commission Chair Lisa Doud said.
In 2018, Langenberger earned state honor and was named the New Jersey Middle School Adviser of the Year by the TSA.
In 2019, Howell Middle School South was awarded a Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant in the amount of $10,000 titled, “Feeding Howell’s Minds and Bodies.” Unlike other outdoor classrooms and school gardens, this grant seeks to create community partnerships and promote global stewardship, according to a press release.
Langenberger, who coordinated the grant, wrote “It is essential that we all become participants in our community; sustainability involves lifelong lessons in global collaboration that begin with our students as the seeds of change.”
A banquet was held by the Howell Environmental Commission in September where they presented Langenberger with the Ann G. Ritchey Environmental Award.
“Gardens Bring People Together” was the title of Langenberger’s acceptance speech. He explained how “Gardens Bring People Together” was actually an off-the-cuff speech, as he discarded his original speech and decided to speak from the heart.
“I noticed as I volunteered as a living actor in Allaire Village years ago rebuilding the gardens that I was often interrupted by strangers approaching me to ask about the plants, tell their own garden stories and by the end of the day, those strangers became friends. In reflection, I realized that despite all our differences, a garden becomes an amazing space that alongside the plants grows friendships, empathy and kindness,” Langenberger said. “During my lifetime, I have planted many gardens, created a wonderful community of friends, and inspired them to begin building their own gardens.”
“I was honored to receive the Ann G. Ritchey Environmental Award in Howell Township and very honestly surprised. My efforts to the community in Howell have been to provide the children with an outstanding education as a Howell Township Public School teacher of 30 years, planting the seeds of curiosity, compassion, and creativity. I love gardening and often integrate that passion into instructional opportunities. At Howell Middle School South, creating a food forest to help feed the members of our community can easily be described as a pinnacle moment and serve as a model of global stewardship. I believe that if we spent more time in a garden together, we could grow endless possibilities for a sustainable future,” Langenberger added.
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